Sewer-cleaning apparatus.



1. F. KUHLMAN SEWIZR CLEANING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAIL I2,I915- Patentd June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I 1. F. KUHLMAN. SEWER CLEANING APPARATUS. APPLICATIONFILED MAR. I2, I915.

1,185,686. Pfitented June 6,1916."

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- during the scraping operation, and as a.

v vide an improved scraper which can be STATES PATENT-1 JOHN F.xunnmniv, or worn, failure1H1.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. KUHLMAN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewer- CleaningApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My present cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to the type inwhich a scraper is dragged to and fro between two successive manholesand withdrawn as often as 3 the scraper bucket has been filled.

The principal objects of my present invention are to provide meanswhereby the end of the scraper proper acts as a scraper bucket" closingmember during the reverse movement of the scraper; to provide meanswhereby the material removed from .the sewer may be discharged from thescraper with a. maximum of ease; to provide a scraper which will operatewhen lying on its top as well as on its bottom side; to proput intooperation without previous adjustment, together .with certain furtherobjects which will hereinafter appear.

In attaining-the desired objects and certain additional advantages to bebelow pointed out, I have provided a construction,

a preferred embodiment of which employing the present invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure l is a vertical section through a manhole and portion of a sewershowing the apparatus in operative position, the discharging position ofthe bucket being shown in dotted lines; Fig, 2 is a medial longitudinalvertical section ofthe bucket when in the scraping position; Fig.3 is atop plan view of the bucket in the position shown in Fig. 2; andFig. 4is a section through the bucket on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, viewed in thedirection of the arrows.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the manhole over whichis arranged a-truck 2 which carries the hoisting drum 3,- whereby thescraper is hauled along the sewer to the bottom of the manhole andsubsequently raised through the latter. This hoisting drum 3 .is rotatedby a crank 4. The ropeorcable leadingffrom the haulsnwmcwmme Arrmrus.

Specification of Letters Patent.

invention relates to sewer ing'drum passesover the pulley or sheave 6,and from thence into the manhole.

One of the features of my co-pending appllcatlon is the manner in whichthe cable 5 is prevented from becoming frayed by rubbmg against the endofthe sewer where the latter makes junction with the manhole 7 keepsthearm 9 in its lowermost position.

When, however, the scraper comes into contact with the sheave 7, or withthe'arm 9 carrying it, the latter is swung into themiddle of the manholethereby carrying the brought into the positionshown in the dot- PatentedJ rule 6, 1916.; Application filed March 12,1915. Serial No. 14,040. o

" scraper proper clear of, themanhole walls.

Eventually, as the arm is raised,1 it, is

ted lines in Fig. 1, when a latch 11 engages a projection 12 on the arm9, anddholds the arm in its elevated position.

The cable 5 is free to as soon asthe tensionon the cable tends to drawthe cable away from the sheave. Ac-

cordingly, as soon as the arm 9 is brought to its elevated positionshown inFig. 1, they scraper 8 is free to rise unobstructed for thepurpose of discharging :its accumulated contents- The, scraper is drawn.upward by the cable 5 untilit contacts withthe" pulley 6 leave thesheave when thefchain 41 is swung across andthe" hook attached theretobrought into engagement with the part-40. Thereupon the cable 5 isreleased allowing the scraper to swing across to thepositi'on shown indotted lines. The weight of the scraperthen causes the ends of thejscraperf to open, "as will be described later. After'the scraper hasbeen discharged and is returned :to the-manhole again for a furtherscraping operation, is necessary," pictur 's; toflbrin the; sheave 7once more into engagement w th the cable -1 rs p irp'l' e. ths atmpfiiitPr v de t t o ter and.Wi h"' w l ir i{ gP1701 ftinfslthtlrope 14:, thesefbrked projections 13 will engage the cable 5 and guide the same intothe groove of the sheave -7, whereupon the apparatus will resume aposition for further scraping.

While the sheave 7 provides for the passage of the cable 5 around thecorner of the sewer during the scraping and hauling operations, it isalso desirable to provide antifriction rollers 15 suitably arranged onthe frame which carries the pivoted pulley jack 9 for the cable 5 topass over after the arm 9 has been raised to its elevated position.

The construction adopted for supporting the arm 9 and its associatedparts in the manhole l of the sewer isfully described in my co-pendingapplication, Serial Number 855,656, and as it forfns no part of theinvention claimed in this application, its de-. scription will beomittedhere.

The scraper, as shown, is ponstructed so that one of the portions at oneend acts as a scraper when the scraper is moved as a whole in scrapingdirection, and both end portions act as closing members when the scraperis moved in the opposite direction. To accomplish this function thescraper is formed with two hemi-spherical shells, or bucket portions 25and 26 which are pivoted to each other on each side at the point 27.

These shells 25 and 26 are provided with runners or strengthening ribs28 on their outsides. These ribs have hooked ends 29 which pass throughholes in the end members 30 and 31, which end members are pivotallyattached to side'member's 32 by the pins 33. The side members 32 haveattached to each end .the yokes 34 and 35, respectively to which thehauling cables are fastened.

It will be observed that the hemi-spherical bucket portions 25 and 26are not connected to the cables used for drawing the scraper to and froalong the sewer except indirectly by the hooked ends 29 of the ribs 28.Accordingly when theyoke 34 is pulled in the direction of the arrow inFig. 2, the frictiori of the shell 25 against the bottom of the sewercauses the shell, by means of its hook 29, to pull the end portion 30into its open or scraping position and simultaneously raise the upperportion 31, as shown in Fig. 2.

The extent to which the end portions 30 and 31 can open is limited bythe projections 42 on the upper shell 26,-which projections act as stopsfor the pins orprojections 38 at the ends of the yoke 35, and which passthrough the side bars 32. When the scraper has been filled it is ulledin the opposite direct on by means of the yoke 35. The first. action ofsuch movement is to move the 'side plates 32 so as to close the end ofthe scraper by brin ng the parts 30 and 31 together.

The ucket portions of the scraper are messes prevented from swingingtransversely with respect to the side bars 32 during this relativemotion of the bucket portions and .the side bars 32 by shaping theadjacent edges 36 and 37 of the bucket shells so as to form bucketmembers pivoted to the upper and lower parts of the corresponding endmembers and movable longitudinally relatively to said side members, saidside members being pivotally attached to the lower and upper portions ofsaid upper, and lower end members respectively, and means for connectingsaid side members to the hauling .means whereby one of the end membersacts as a scraper when the bucket is hauled in one direction and bothend members act as closing members when the bucket is hauled intheopposite direction.

2. A sewer scraper comprising in combination, a bucket member, ribs on,the under side of said bucket member, an end member pivotally attachedat its lower portion to the bucket member by hooked ends on said ribs,hauling means connected to its upper portion whereby the end member actsas a scraper when the bucket is hauled in one direction and as a closingmember when hauled in the opposite direction, and means for suspendingthe scraper attached to the bucket member to allow the end member tofall in order to discharge the contents of the scraper therefrom.

'3. A. sewer scraper comprising in combination, side members, upper andlower end members pivotally attached thereto at their under and upperportions respectively, upper and lower bucket members, ribs on saiducket members, hooked ends on said ribs adapted to engage the upper andlower parts of the corresponding upper and lower end members, and meansfor connecting said side members to' the hauling means whereby one ofthe end members acts as a scraper when the bucket is hauled in onedirection and both end members act as closing mem-- bers when the bucketis hauled in the oppoon the bucket member adapted to ege the the saidhauling means and limit the opening of the end members.

5. A sewer scraper comprising, in combination, a bucket member, upperand lower 5 end members pivotally attached at their uper and lowerportions respectively to the bucket member, a member connected to thelower -portion of said upper end member, and to the upper portion ofsaid lower end 10 member, and hauling means connected to said memberwhereby the lower end member acts as a scraper when hauled in onedirection, and both upper and lower end members act as closing memberswhen hauled in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my subscribed witnesses.

JOHN F. KUHLMAN. Witnesses:

' PAUL CARPENTER,

RmsD'ALn ELLIs.

name in the presence of the two

